Labor organizations who represent New York’s fire fighters are sounding the alarm (get it?) over what they see as a proposal to “eviscerate the binding arbitration rights” of their members in Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s budget proposal, and using language designed to rattle a governor who’s been buffing up his progressive credentials in recent weeks.

The offending budget item is an “ability-to-pay” cap on unions subject to binding arbitration in labor negotiations with municipalities. The plan would keep arbitrators’ decisions on benefit increases to no more than 2 percent — excluding pension costs and the first 2 percent of health insurance cost increases — if a municipality is found to be “financially distressed.”

To achieve that dubious status, the locality would have to meet at least one of two criteria:

Its reserve funds are less than 5 percent of budgets over a five-year period, or

Its tax rates are in the state’s top 25 percent.

Police and firefighters unions are most often involved in this type of arbitration. The “ability-to-pay” provision wouldn’t be applied in New York City.

“Quite frankly, we would expect this type of an attack from conservative governors in Right to Work states,” he wrote. “We certainly do not expect such a frontal assault on front line fire fighters and police officers from a purportedly progressive governor in a state that has been a citadel for organized labor.”

Scheitberger goes on to say that IAFF’s economists believe that, as crafted, “your proposal would effectively allow 95 percent of jurisdictions to avoid binding interest arbitration by falling into a ‘fiscally distressed” category. The men and women fighting fires and responding to emergencies across New York have earned their right of binding arbitration. They deserve to have a Governor who stands with the state’s first responders, not one who shamelessly attempts to undo over 35 years of workplace fairness and democracy in a legislative sleight of hand maneuver. I sincerely hope that you will withdraw this ill-conceived proposal.”

The state Professional Fire Fighters Association, which operates under the North American umbrella of the IAFF, echoed those sentiments in its statement, which claims that Cuomo “is once again attacking New York’s fire-fighters and law enforcement officers by attempting to curtail their legislatively prescribed rights and protections during local contract negotiations.”

” … Despite his repeated efforts to characterize his actions as that of a progressive, the simple truth is that in the two years that have followed his election, Gov. Cuomo has repeatedly sought to use his powers under the executive budget and targeted legislation to blunt organized labor, and more specifically erode the fundamental security of fire-fighters and their families.”

“Last week, hidden in the eye-numbing print of his executive budget, Gov. Cuomo buried details of a proposal limiting the negotiating rights of first responders when negotiations stall – and that effectively limits the role of independent arbitrators,” the statement continues. “In short, if enacted the arbitration processes will be tied to the comparative fiscal circumstances of the state’s municipalities – in effect artificially dictating the terms of an arbitration case, rather than relying on the judgment and experience of a neutral party.”

Fire fighters are planning to visit Albany on Monday to express their displeasure, although no rally is currently planned.

And here’s the full letter from Schaitberger, which was cc’ed to legislative leaders, plus other labor figures and two national Democrats, Peter Shumlin of the Democratic Governors Association and Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, head of the Democratic National Committee and a good person to know if you perhaps have 2016 plans:

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